Resilient wheel.



3. STUART.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED 0503,1912.

Patented May 14, 1918.

TQE.

JOHN STUART, OF ST. KILDA. MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

Application filed December 3, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN STUART, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland,and a resident of the city of St. Kilda, a suburb of the city of Melbourne, in the county of Bourke, State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, and whose postoffice address is 19, Addison street, in the said city of St. Kilda, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Resilient l/Vheel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in resilient vehicle wheels and its object is to provide a simple and efficient structure which may be easily and quickly assembled or dismantled and is adapted for use with either pneumatic, cushion, or solid tires.

Referring to the drawings which form a part of this specification Figure 1 is a view looking at the outer side of the wheel. In the right hand half of the figure the outer circular side plate is removed to show clearly the disposition of the segmental cushions.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of the wheel taken through the segmental cushions. The outer side plate is shown detached for convenience of illustration.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a segmental cushion. I

Fig. at is a sectional detail view of a modification in which the ends of the cushions and thercavities which accommodate them are of dovetail conformation.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view of a further modification in which the ends of the cushions are convex and the ends of the cavities concave.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross section on an enlarged scale taken through one of the cushions. The outer side plateis shown in position and the tire is removed.

Fig. 7 is a cross section taken between two of the cushions.

Fig. 8 is a detail View looking at the inside. of the outer removable side plate and showing the inclined edges of the blocks or abutments which fit within the cavities of.

the inner rim.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of portion of the outer side plate.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of portion of the inner rim showing clearly the conformationof the cavities therein,

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMa-y 14:, 1918.

Serial No. 205,176.

The invention includes a hub element which may be of any suitable material wood being preferred. The hub element comprises a hub 2 from which radiate spokes 3 attached at their outer end to an inner rim 4. This inner rim is surrounded by a metallic ring 6 which securely retains the parts of the hub element together.

Formed in the periphery of the inner rim and the metallic ring 6 are a series of segmental cavities the end walls 7 of which are preferably of convex form as shown. These cavities are open on the outer side of the wheel but on the inner side are closed by an inner wall 8 which coincides with a bridge 9 formed in the metallic ring 6 where it is cut away to form the cavities. The open outer side of each cavity in the inner rim is preferably provided with an inclined bottom edge 11 and inclined side edges 12 as shown, the object of these inclined edges being to facilitate the insertion of the cushions as will be hereinafter better understood.

Surrounding the hub element is a felly 13 the inner diameter of which is greater than the outer diameter of the inner rim 1. Accordingly an annular space 14 exists between the felly and the hub element. Formed through the folly are a series of segmental cavities the end walls 16 of which are preferably convex and when the wheel is assembled are in alinement with the convex ends 7 of the cavities in the inner rim. The cavities in the felly are closed on both sides of the wheel by an inner wall 17 and an outer wall 18. To the outer circumference of the folly is attached by screws 19 or the like an outer rim 21 which may be designed to carry either a solid, cushion, or a pneumatic tire :22 as desired. l/vhen a pneumatic tire is used the valve 20 passes freely through an opening formed in one of the cushions for this purpose.

Accommodated by corresponding cavities in the inner rim and the folly are a series of segmental cushions 23. These cushions are preferably of rubber and are provided with concave ends which fit tightly against the convex end walls of the cavities. The cushions are preferably formed of a series of circumferential laminations 2a which are in corporated into a single block as in Fig. 3 by any well known means. Before insertion the cushions are actually larger than the cavities which accommodate them, the push.

modate them.

ions being forced into said cavities under pressure by any suitable means so that when in use they are comparatively hard and under ordinary load support the hub element substantially concentrically within the telly. Only on encountering road inequalities do the cushions become compressed and the J: a 1 ielly and hub radially displaced in ieiatioa to each other. This feature contributes largely to the etliciency of the wheel.

Instead of the cus -ons having concave ends as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 they may be of dovetail shape as '25 in Fig. the cavities being similarly shaped to accom- The shape of the ends may be still further modified as seen in 5 which illustrates a cushion having convex ends 30 fitting within cavities of concave form.

Attached to the inner side of the wheel is an inner circular around the feLy and the inner rim covering the annular space existing therebetween and forming guides for the telly. The inner side plate is preferably tired to the inner rim by screws 27 or the like but it may be detachable and held in place by means of a series oi bolts 28 which pass through bolt holes in the inner rim.

Attached to the outer side of the wheel by means of the bolt 28 is an outer circular side plate29 which may be removed by unscrewing the nuts 31 and from its inner face protrude a series of blocks or abutments 39'. These blocks are accommodated by the open side of the cavities in the inner rim and fit against the cushions and prevent any lateral displacem nt thereof. Each of the blocks or abutments is preferably provided with an inclined bottom 33 and inclined sides 3% which it against the inclined edges 11-12 of the cavities in the inner rim.

In assembling the wheel the cushions are forced under pressure into the cavities of the telly so that the concave endsof the cushions fit tightly against the convex end walls of the cavities and are thus held securely in place. The telly is then placed concentrically around the hub element, so that the cushions register with the cavities of the inner rim. The tell is then forced over the hub element, the inner portion of the cushions entering the cavities in the inner rim through the inclined openingsin the outer side thereof until they engage the inner wall 8 and are tightly held in place the convex ends of the cavities. The outer side plate is then placed in position so that the blocks or abutments fill the cavities in the inner rim and engage the outer sides of the cushions. The tightening up of the nu 31 on the bolts 28 secures the outer side plate in place and the wheel is reauy for use.

To obtain access to the cushions for in spection, renewal or repair, or for the purside plate 26 which extends weight in the chassis of the vehicle. As will be seen the segmental cushions form resilient bridges between the telly and the hub elethe effect of road shocks without fear of dislocation or derangement of the parts.

l-laving ClQSCl'llJQtl my invention 1 claim zl. in a resilient wheel, the combination with a hub element including an inner rinn inner rim having a plurality of radial cavities which are transversely tapered at their ends with the ends diverging inwardly with. respect to the hub element said cavities having their inner sides closed and their outer sides open; of a telly surrounding and spaced from the inner rim, said telly having cavities corresponding in arrangement to the first named cavities, the second named cavities being radially disposed and having their ends tapered and diverging outwardly with relation to the hub element, said second named cavities having both sides closed; a plurality of cushions having their opposite ends inclined inwardly from their opposite longitudinal edges, and adapted for insertion within the first and second. named cavities; through the open sides of the first named cavities to contact with said cushions and retain the same in place.

in a resilient wheel the combination of a hub element having an inner rim in which are a series of segmental cavities open on the outer side of the wheel and inclosed on the inner side thereof, a telly surrounding and spaced from the hub element said telly having cavities corresponding in arrange ment to the cavities of the inner rim and having both sides closed, a series of segmental cushions accommodated by said cavities and extending between the inner rim and the telly, an inner circular side plate covering the space between the inner rim and the telly on one side of the wheel, an outer removable side plate covering said space on the outer side otthe wheel and abutments protruding from said outer side plate and accommodated by the open side of the cavities in the inner rim.

3. In a resilient wheel, the combination of a hub element having an inner rim in which are a series of segmental cavities open on the outer side of the wheel and having convex end walls, a telly surrounding and spaced from the hub element, said telly having cavities with convex ends which are an ranged in alinement with the ends of the cavities in the inner rim, a series of segand n'ieans adapted for insertion mental cushions extending between the inner rim andthe telly and having concave ends engaging the ends of the cavities therein, an inner fixed side plate covering the space between the inner rim and the telly on one side of the wheel, an outer removable side plate covering said space on the outer side of the wheel, and abutments protruding inwardly from the outer side plate and accommodated by the open side of the cavities in the inner rim, said abutments engaging the outer side of the cushions.

4C. In a resilient wheel the combination of a hub element having an inner rim in which are a series of segmental cavities open on the outer side of the wheel, a telly surrounding and spaced from the hub element said telly having cavities arranged in alinement with the cavities of the inner rim, a series of segmental cushions accommodated by said cavities and extending between the inner rim and the telly, an inner circular side plate covering the space between the inner rim and the telly on one side of the wheel, an outer removable side plate covering said space on the outer side of the wheel, abutments protruding from the outer side plate and accommodated by the open side 0: the cavities in the inner rim, said cavities in the inner rim having inclined outer edges to facilitate the introduction of the cushions and said abutments having inclined ends and an inclined bottom to engage the inclined edges of said cavities.

5. In a resilient wheel, the combination of a hub element having an inner rim in which are a series of segmental cavities open on the outer side of the wheel and having convex end walls, a metallic ring surrounding and attached to said rim, a telly surrounding and spaced from the hub element, said telly having cavities with convex ends which are arranged in alinement with the cavities of the inner rim, a series of segmental cushions having concave ends engag ing the convex ends of the cavities, said cushions extending between the inner rim and the telly, an inner circular side plate attached to the inner rim and covering the space between the inner rim and the telly Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,- Washington, D. G.

on one side of the wheel, an outer removable side plate covering said space on the outer side of the wheel, and abutments carried by said outer side plate and acconnnodated by the open side of the cavities in the inner rim, said abutments having inclined edges which engage corresponding edges in the cavities of the inner rim.

6. In a resilient wheel the combination of a hub element having an inner rim in which are a series of segmental cavities, a felly surrounding and spaced from the hub element, said felly having cavities corresponding to the cavities of the inner rim, a series of circumferentially laminated cushions compressed into said cavities and ex tending between the inner rim and the telly, an inner circular side plate covering the space between the inner rim and the telly on one side of the wheel, an outer removable side plate covering said space on the outer side of the wheel, a metallic ring surrounding and attached to said inner rim, said metallic ring having narrow bridges opposite each of the cavities in the inner rim.

'7. In a resilient wheel the combination of a hub element having an inner rim in which are a series of segmental cavities, a metallic ring surrounding and attached to said inner rim and having cavities corresponding with those in the inner rim, said cavities being open on the outer side of the wheel and closed on the inner side thereof by an inner wall, a telly surrounding the inner rim and spaced therefrom, said telly having cavities closed on both sides of the wheel, segmental cushions extending between the inner rim and the telly and accommodated by the cavities therein, an outer rim attached to the periphery of the telly, a tire carried by the outer rim, an inner side plate secured to the inner side of the inner rim and an outer side plate reniovably attached to the outer side of the wheel said outer side plate having abutments accommodated by the open side of the cavities of the inner rim and engaging the cushions therein.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN STUART. 

